What I'm Doing

The TV, Hunny Bun, & Me

My husband is an awesome human being. He’s incredibly smart, incredibly generous, and incredibly supportive. He works in Information Technology. He started in the field BEFORE the internet was a thing, and the cloud wasn’t even a gleam in the eye of anyone yet. And although he works in IT and is extremely smart, some tech totally confuses him.

A few years ago he started waxing poetic on how frustrated he was with how high our cable bill was when we only used maybe 10% of what we were paying for. So I suggested we cut the cable and go with streaming. His response? “What about football and baseball? I want to be able to watch sports, and we can’t if we go with a streaming service.” We eventually did cut the cable. Now we have streaming services tailored to the content we’re interested in.

Enter our “smart TV” phase! He wanted the latest tech in TVs. We got the latest tech. Then he got totally frustrated with the set-up process.  I guess he didn’t realize we would need to install the apps for our specific streaming services. This is where I come in. I’m far more tech savvy when it comes to navigating the streaming universe. I took over the set-up and got us logged into our services. He was happy. No more cable and he can still watch sports and movies, or he can binge watch entire series like ‘The Morning Show’ on Apple TV+.

However, every so often I will hear him say, “What the f****?” Whenever I hear that, I stop whatever I’m doing and go find out what the problem is. But what happens if I’m already in bed and sound asleep? Rather than wake me up, he takes a picture with his phone and backs out of whatever he’s in. The next morning/day, he sends me the picture via a text.

Usually, I will have a solution for whatever he shows me. Not last night. Hunny Bun sent me the following picture: 

I have no idea why we would need to update anything on the TV when we are “0” days out of date! It did give us two options to update a TV that is not “out of date”. So, I asked, “Did you restart the TV?” He told me he did what he always does when confused by a message. He backed out of whatever he was in, then clicked on one of our streaming apps and continued to watch TV.

I know we are not the only household where this kind of thing happens. What kinds of weird messages has your latest tech sent you?

Athena's Adventures What I'm Doing

Going For A Walk

I live in one of the most walkable cities in the world, Washington, DC. But going for a walk, especially with Athena, takes some prep work.

First, we have to go out at the right time if we really want to enjoy our walk. This means getting up early and getting out before everyone else. Lucky for Athena, I’m an early riser. Our preferred time to go for a walk is between 4 and 5 a.m. We’re definitely up and out before most of the rest of the city. This allows us to avoid runners/joggers, cyclists, and people riding those irritating scooters.

Second, I have to prep for the season. Right now, we’re heading out of Autumn into Winter. This means I need to have my thermal underwear, thick socks, thick leggings, a thick top or jacket, gloves, a hat, and ear bags. All of that is just to keep me warm. Athena is good with just her fur coat. This means that before I go to bed at night put together what I need the next morning and stack it neatly in the bathroom where I will change. If the weather forecast calls for rain or snow, well we have to add appropriate outer wear for that.

After getting my clothes ready, I need a couple of other things because Athena and I are going to be out for a while. What do we need? A water bottle for me, a water bottle for Athena, and the treat bag full of dried beef liver for her. These things are also prepped and made ready the night before.

Last, we need lighting. Athena wears a lighted harness, we use a lighted extendable leash, and I add “runners lights” to me. Yes, we live in an urban environment that is well lit but there are places where the lighting isn’t so good. We need to make sure runners/joggers, cyclists, and scooter riders can see us if we’re in a place that isn’t so well lit.

After all that, plus something I’m sure I’ve forgotten to mention, we’re ready to go for a walk. Now, which route do we take? Do we walk along the Potomac River? Maybe we should walk through all the monuments on the National Mall? We might even walk down toward the Pentagon and back up. No matter which route we take, we’ll walk a minimum of 3 miles. That’s a minimum! We’ve been known to walk 9 or more miles in a day.

Do you take walks? If so, where and how far do you walk? Do you go with a buddy, or do you go alone? Let me know in the comments.

What I'm Doing

My Love/Hate Relationship With The Internet

My feelings on the internet have not evolved over the years. I started out saying, “The internet is the best thing to be invented, and it’s also the worst thing ever invented!” I sincerely doubt that opinion will ever change. I will always have a love/hate relationship with the internet.

With that being said, here I am with another blog about anything and everything that appeals to me. And I love it. I love being able to share all my adventures with all of you. What I hate about it is coming up with graphics, or at the very least, that won’t infringe on any copyrights. But I’m not a “visual” person. I’m a “language” person. Don’t show me a diagram of something to build and expect me to be able to do it. Show me the actual instructions written out.

So how do I overcome the issue of graphics for this site? Artificial Intelligence to the rescue! I came up with some pretty good images, but my friend did even better. Both images in my header are thanks to her. She’s more of a visual person and she had a lot of fun creating a lot of images for me. She saved me a ton of time, and I no longer fear going bald from pulling out my hair.

As helpful as AI can be for people who can’t even draw a stick figure, I get extraordinarily frustrated by it. Social media is inundated with images and videos created using AI. And they look real! You can’t believe anything you see anymore…literally! Yes, AI has a place and can be useful. It can also be dangerous and harmful. One more thing to add to the love/hate list of the internet for me.

Building this site was an exercise in frustration. Creating the social media accounts for it was not quite as frustrating. And using AI to help me get the look I was going for was educational. What about you? Do you have a love/hate relationship with the internet and AI? Are you frustrated by the amount of AI you see on social media? Leave me a comment and let me know if it’s just me, or if others out there feel the same way.

About

Who We Are

Welcome to Introverting Out Loud. This site is dedicated to all the introverts that would rather stay home with a good book, binging something on TV or watching a movie, but want to have adventures as well. You’re not alone! We’re everywhere and we’re taking over!

 I enjoy a great many other things that require me putting down my book or turning off the TV and  leaving the comfort of my home. I love to go and see new places, to re-visit places I’ve already been, going to a movie or seeing a Broadway show. But regardless of what I’m up to, I keep myself apart from the chaos of others around me. That is what I call Introverting Out Loud.

Sometimes my adventures happen inside my home or neighborhood. Walking Athena (my German Shepherd mix), cooking, exercising at home, and just general day to day life is an adventure for me. Jut like most everyone else of my generation, day to day living is most definitely an adventure.

So come along with me on my journey of balancing being an introvert with adventures in the real world. Also, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.